Topic & Programme

Topics should be timely and preferably not in an area where there is already an overabundance of meetings.

If the topic is similar to an on-going EMBO Conference Series, please clearly indicate the unique focus of your meeting.

Please ensure that feedback from the previous meeting is given to the EMBO Courses & Workshops office prior to submitting your application. If there was any negative feedback please indicate your attempts to rectify these issues in the current application.

The programme should be sufficiently detailed to list session themes and the status of speakers (either confirmed or unconfirmed) should be clearly stated.

Enough time should be planned for discussion and there should be sessions that promote interactions between the participants.

Poster sessions should be held at a time that encourages maximal attendance and in a room with sufficient space.

Participants & Speakers

The approximate size of the various EMBO funded meetings should be as follows: not more than 25 participants (excluding speakers) for a practical course; not more than 120 participants (including speakers) for a workshop; greater than 150 participants (including speakers) for a conference series.

Ideally, early stage participants should have the opportunity to attend.

Not more than 15 % of participants should be from the host country (applicable only to the EMBO Courses & Workshops taking place in EMBC Member States).

At least two-thirds of participants should be resident in EMBC Member States (applicable only to the EMBO Courses & Workshops taking place in EMBC Member States).

Participants should not be restricted to pre-defined participants (whether this be an EU-network or other defined group).

When selecting participants, you are requested to consider the commitment of EMBO to a reasonable gender balance in all EMBO activities.

Equally you should try to avoid any significant regional bias.

There should be enough speakers to cover the topic in sufficient depth but without making the programme overly dense.

It is expected that at least 50% of the speakers are different between subsequent conferences in a series.

Organizers are strongly encouraged to aim for a minumum of 30% female representation when selecting speakers (if there is a lower proportion justification must be provided).

EMBO travel grants are not available for participants working in laboratories in: Australia, New Zealand, North America, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and other European countries (apart from those listed above). However, there are special travel grants available for participants working in Singapore.

Q. Are the travel grants strictly restricted to the priority countries stated in the EMBO guidelines?

A. Yes, EMBO travel grants are available for attendees working in the priority countries.

EMBO travel grants are not available for participants working in labs in: Australia, New Zealand, North America, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and other European countries not included in the priority countries. However, grants can be provided to participants working in these countries from the EMBO core funding or if you have additional sources of support.

e.g.: If core funding is €30,000 and travel grants funding is €2,000, the €2,000 can only be used for participants from the priority countries, but additional travel grants can be offered to any participants from the €30,000, as long as funds are still available.

A. For EMBO Courses & Workshops, applications should be submitted before the annual deadlines (1 March and 1 August) in the calendar year prior to the proposed meeting date (e.g. the 1 March 2015 and 1 August 2015 deadlines are for EMBO Courses & Workshops being held between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016). Applications will not be accepted for proposals taking place in the same calendar year.

For EMBO | EMBL Symposia applications should be submitted before the annual deadline (1 March) two calendar years prior to the proposed meeting date (e.g. the 1 March 2015 deadline is for EMBO | EMBL Symposia being held between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017).

For EMBO Keynote Lectures, priority will be given to applications received at least 9 months in advance of the meeting. There are three annual deadlines: 1 February, 1 June and 1 October.

Q. Is the 1 August deadline only for events happening in the second half of the calendar year?

A. The 1 August deadline is for events happening anytime in the following calendar year (e.g. the 1 August 2015 deadline is for EMBO Courses & Workshops being held between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016). However, please bear in mind that in order to allow enough time for proper advertising and promotion of the event in case of acceptance, it is best to apply at least twelve months before the intended start of the event.

A. The outcome of EMBO Courses & Workshops applications is normally communicated within 10 weeks of the application deadline but it may take up to maximum of 13 weeks. The outcome of EMBO | EMBL Symposia applications is normally communicated within 12 weeks of the application deadline. The outcome of EMBO Keynote Lecture applications is normally communicated within 6 weeks of the application deadline.

Q. If I have not completed my application before the submission deadline, can I complete the same proposal and submit it at the next application deadline?

A. Yes, but please be aware that as soon as a deadline has passed, the application system is closed, and consequently you will not have access to the application before the application system is re-opened (approximately three months before the next application deadline).

Q. How are applications evaluated?

A. Each EMBO Courses & Workshops application is reviewed by at least two members of the EMBO Course Committee. The final decision is made by the entire committee. EMBO Keynote Lecture applications are reviewed by at least one member of the EMBO Course Committee. All applications are treated in confidence and only publicized following acceptance of the funding conditions by the organizer. The
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should be contacted to answer any questions concerning applications. Contacting individual members of the EMBO Course Committee to influence the decision process will result in disqualification of the application.

A. A proportion of the EMBO Courses & Workshops support is transferred approximately 3 months prior to the meeting, with the balance being transferred following receipt of the final financial statement and other meeting documentation: please consult the relevant guidelines for more details. Reimbursement for funded lectures by EMBO Members and EMBO Young Investigators is made after receipt of the relevant receipts and reimbursement form.

A. The venue should be easily accessible from local airport(s) or train station etc. and should have suitable facilities. Preferably, accommodation should be onsite or close-by, there should be sufficient space for poster sessions, good audio-visual support, free wifi, etc.

For EMBO Global Exchange Lecture Courses, in order to allow local scientists to attend the possible symposium, the course should be held at an easily accessible research institute or university.

Q. Must participants and speakers be accommodated in one location?

A. The EMBO Course Committee considers very seriously the efforts made to optimize the benefits for early-stage researchers. These include also making efforts to accommodate all participants and speakers in the same location/limited number of locations, as well as making other conscious attempts to promote interactions amongst attendees.

Q. Must the speakers be confirmed at the time of application?

A. It is better to have the majority of the speakers tentatively confirmed at the application stage. EMBO Courses & Workshops applications with all the speakers unconfirmed are rarely successful in being awarded funding.

Q. What is considered a "reasonable gender balance"?

A. We consider the gender balance to be reasonable when at least 30% of the speakers are of the minority gender.

Q. At least 2/3 of participants should be resident in EMBC Member States (applicable only to the EMBO Courses & Workshops taking place in EMBC Member States) – does this rule apply to speakers as well?

A. There is a recommended proportion of participants from EMBC Member States (at least 2/3) but this is not strictly applied to the speakers. The primary point that the committee will take into consideration is the scientific merit of the speakers and the geographical distribution of the invited speakers is of secondary importance. Normally it is expected that there is no bias among the speakers towards any particular country/countries.

Q. Not more than 15% of participants should be from the host country (applicable only to the EMBO Courses & Workshops taking place in EMBC Member States).We selected 18 American speakers out of 40 (45%), and the remaining 22 speakers are from EMBC Member States. Does this rule refer to both speakers and participants?

A. This rule refers only to participants, but this is not strictly enforced unless the meeting is oversubscribed; if undersubscribed, it is ok to have a greater proportion of local participants.

Q. Is the number of host country participants really limited to 15%?

A. The 15% is only for EMBO Workshops held in EMBC Member States. For an EMBO Workshop held for example in Singapore, it is expected that the majority of the participants come from Singapore and elsewhere in Asia.

A. One EMBO Press editor should not be charged the administrative portion of the registration fee for EMBO Courses & Workshops, but they will pay for the accommodation and travel expenses.

Q. How much can we charge as a registration fee?

A. The maximum registration fee for EMBO Conferences and EMBO Workshops is €450 (excluding accommodation) for academics and €650 (excluding accommodation) for participants from industry. The maximum registration fee for EMBO Practical Courses is €400 (including accommodation) for academics and €1,000 for participants from industry. €1,000. Organizers may charge less than these maxima.

Q. Must the registration fee cover the accommodation as well?

A. For EMBO Conferences and EMBO Workshops, accommodation can be charged separately, in addition to the maximum €450 registration fee. For EMBO Practical Courses accommodation must be included in the maximum €400 registration fee.